iPhone SDK backlash(or "would Apple be as monopolistic as MS if it could?")

[redspear]

As part of their defense, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard are seeking to get Apple's copyrights declared invalid. They are expected to point toward Xerox's development of many of the techniques used in the Macintosh. That case is also being handled by Judge Walker, a new judge who took over the docket of Judge William W. Schwarzer, who left recently to become director of the Federal Judicial Center in Washington.

Xerox sued Apple in December, seeking more than $150 million in damages. It asserted that the screen display of Apple's Macintosh computer unlawfully used copyrighted technology that Xerox had developed and incorporated in a computer called the Star, which was introduced in 1981, three years before the Macintosh.


They were sued over a copyright vioolation of the STAR. It was not a contract violation. I have worked with and known many people involved with the PARC system personaly. Many are expert witness today. Apple stole from PARC outright and even though some did eventually work for Apple in the early 90's and helped develop the ColorFLO for apple they were really PO'd about the company not taking a more proactive stance on its copyrights.

The Xerox case was brought about because Apple Sued HP and MS both of whom copied from XEROX. The main justification of the suit was that apple was suing other companies based on Xerox's patents which was kind of a tipping point.


As for obtaining the rights to the GUI before this lawsuit. I have never seen anything factually based about that and have never heard it from PARC employees(even ones like Gerald Murch who worked for a people for a bit). I have only seen a few random posts on the internet made in comment sections.

Reggienator,
Nintnedo did have aMonopoly they got sued and sued everyone as well. Tengen won their rights to publish on the NES after a really nasty lawsuit. However it was these same regulations that bought hte industry back and reducing shovelware. A company could prduce more than 5 games a year but they had to create a new studio to do so Hence stuff like Ultra. Having to go through Nintendo also menat that the same game wasn't released 12-15 times a month like the Atari and Intellivision had. Unfortuanately it also had the effect of greater censorship. Atari Games were very much like the silent films. Mostly tame but some were very adult and no requirement to seperate the two in the store. Nintendo went overboard with this with Mortal Kombat(sweat wth?) Thank god for the Genesis and Competetion although the SNES is still my favorite system of all time.